In the past, most automotive light sources have involved the use of incandescent bulbs. While working well and being inexpensive, these bulbs have a relatively short life and, of course, the thin filament employed was always subject to breakage due to vibration.
Recently some of the uses, particularly the high mount stoplight known as a CHMSL (center high mount stop light), have been replaced by LEDs. These solid-state light sources have incredible life times, in the area of 100,000 hours, and are not as subject to vibration failures. However, these LED sources have been hard-wired into their appropriate location, which increases the cost of installation. It would therefore be an advance in the art if an LED light source could be provided that had the ease of installation of the incandescent light sources. It would be a still further advance in the art if an LED light source could be provided that achieved an industry accepted interchangeable standard to replace the aforementioned incandescent bulb. It would be a still further advance if such an LED lamp could be provided as a replacement for the dual filament turn signal/stop light commonly used. Newer versions of these latter lamps often employ what is know in the industry as an S8 wedge base (as opposed to the older screw base or bayonet base) that plugs into a standard socket.
Further, as is the case with all LED light sources, when driven to their maximum potential a good deal of heat sinking is necessary. Therefore, it would be a still further advance if a suitable heat sink be provided within the relatively small volume that the previous incandescent lamp occupied.